Heritage sites are more than just symbols; they are a tangible link to our past. They give us a glimpse of a certain period in our history. They remind us of the lessons of the past and guide us towards our aspirations.

Perhaps some are wondering why the need to spend money, energy and time preserving these old sites. What makes them very important that our government invests on their protection?

Apparently, these structures, edifices and monuments are an important part of our society. There are many reasons why the need to preserve them.

Firstly, these structures are an important part of our evolution as a society. Letting them crumble to ruins is something we cannot afford to do. Once they are gone, you can never rebuild them using their original construction methodologies and materials. If they are not protected, they only become available through pictures. This is the reason why authorities go the extra mile to carefully maintain heritage sites and museums. Normally, when you walk inside the halls of these edifices, you’ll find an exhibition of artifacts and memorabilia, properly illuminated using specialized lighting equipment such as those LED lamps at LightBarReport. These items give us a firsthand experience of our history.

Second, the beauty of these heritage sites is worth admiration. Looking at their unique art and design gives us a happy feeling. And that’s a scientifically proven fact. Neuroaesthetics believes that art has a positive benefit on a person’s mood. To accentuate the external beauty of these monuments, proper use of lighting such as these LED light bars http://lightbarreport.com/best-24-inch-led-light-bar-review/ proves beneficial.

Third, historic edifices link us to our past. When you preserve a heritage site, it’s not only the physical aspect of it that you’re saving. There’s treasure trove of information about our society, history, and ancestors that lie beneath the layers of these structure. Keeping them intact for future generations to study is a great way to know more about who we are as people.

Fourth, heritage buildings contribute to the economic and cultural well-being of a place. With its regular visitors and tourists, it can add to the vibrancy of street life. Normally, these sites become a tourist destination that attracts people to it. In recent years, we’ve seen how heritage structures have been redeveloped and repurposed to cater to the present generation. They become a viable enterprise that can benefit the local community.

Fifth, declaring a property as a heritage site can help boost property values within the area. Quite obviously, such a designation could bring in economic opportunities which can help uplift the value of properties surrounding it.

Finally, conserving important cultural and historical landmarks is a one-way street. Once a heritage site is destroyed, it’s lost forever. You can never rebuild or renovate it. This makes it crucial that we identify all historically significant sites and work together to preserve them.

One question that a prospective art professional will eventually deal with: Can I make a living out of art and creatives?

The answer to this question is as complex as the question itself.

Our society has a lot of misconceptions about the world of creatives. Many think that art is a hopeless pursuit that offers no financial security, no middle ground, and no stability. We hear of stories about prospective artists, especially freelance or independent artists, with impressive credentials who still failed. These artist-failures are talented, committed and dedicated, yet unappreciated. Regrettably, their works get noticed and valued only posthumous.

But there’s also the other face of the art world – the highly successful and well-known artists who earn a celebrity status. There are acclaimed professional artists the likes of painter/sculptor Damien Hirst, sculptor Jeff Koons, painter Jasper Johns, muralist/graffiti artist David Choe, and painter Andrew Vicari. And of course, there are also those who have earned prominent recognitions in the art world.

To many people, the creative sector is a huge gamble where you either succeed or fail. It’s a “make or break” career that requires courage, perseverance, and hope. Some even think that you need the stroke of luck to make art a viable source of income.

However, there are some things you can do to help improve your chances at success.

Firstly, you need to have a goal. You have to define what you want in your career. Writing down your goals in a paper planner, like those reviewed here https://getlifeyoudesire.com/best-goal-planners-to-reach-your-goals/, can greatly help you in goal-setting. Creativity is the lifeblood of artists. As such, you explore new ideas and concepts. Unfortunately, it’s easy to get distracted by all these new stuff, and you end up not completing any of your tasks and goal. Having a written goal can help you get back to course whenever you lose track.

Secondly, you need to have the mindset of a small business owner. While it’s true that art is passion, you should be realistic. If creatives is your bread and butter, treat it as it is. If you’re a freelance artist, you have to think of basic business stuff like marketing, accounting, inventory, and sales. You need to build and maintain relationships with clients, galleries and other worthy connections. You may also want to self-promote through the internet and social media.

Thirdly, you need to be an expert in time-management. Unlike the regular office workers, artists have the liberty of time. You can choose when to work and when to rest. Such a very flexible schedule is both a curse and a boon. Artists require a tremendous amount of discipline and commitment. You have to stick with your work schedule and meet your deadlines. A planner from Get Life You Desire comes in handy to help organize your life.

Finally, you need to be wise financially. If you’re a self-employed artist, you have to learn how to manage your own finances such as paying for your own pension plan or healthcare plan. Majority of freelance artists supplement their income with another job. Doing so can help you get through difficult financial times or when you’re contract has ended. As you start your career, you need to learn how to budget.

If you think going to the doctor seems daunting, think again! Modern medicine is nothing like it medicine some hundreds years ago. Unusual ancient medical practices and devices discovered from different ancient civilizations appear to be gruesome if not deadly. Surprisingly, these frightening medical treatments were completely accepted – even considered the only recourse – at the time. For sure you’ll be thankful that we now have modern medical equipment like these nursing tools and gadgets reviewed at this site.

Let’s take a look at some peculiar medical treatments used in ancient civilizations.

Mercury

Who would have thought this toxic chemical was once used for treating ailments? Notorious for its adverse effects on health and long banned in healthcare settings, mercury was a common topical medicine and elixir used in ancient Greece and Persia. Chinese alchemists also believed this chemical has the ability to boost vitality and increase lifespan. In some ancient culture, mercury was concocted with other equally poisonous compounds like arsenic and sulfur to create a powerful mixture that promised eternal life. You probably know what happened to those who took this unusual brew.

Skull cure

Ancient Babylonians believed that most illnesses are punishments from the gods for past offenses or caused by demonic forces. Unlike modern physicians who use diagnostic tools, such as sphygmomanometer, thermometer or a pulse oximeter — you can read more about that here: https://nightingaleknows.com/best-pulse-oximeter-reviews , ancient Babylonian healers simply observed their patients and diagnosed them while asleep. For example, grinding of the teeth will lead the healer to suspect that a spirits of a deceased family member was reaching them as they slept. To drive away these spirits, the patient is made to sleep alongside a human skull for a week. According to ancient texts, the patient must also kiss and lick the skull.

Trepanation

Trepanation, the most horrifying surgical procedure, is also the medical world’s oldest form of surgery. This procedure has been practiced for over thousands of years and has been used by different cultures across the world. Aztecs practiced it, the ancient Greeks also did it, and even modern medicine does it too!

In trepanation, the doctor creates a whole in the skull. There is both a religious and medical reasons for this practice. In some cultures, opening up the skull allows the release of demons while others practiced it to relieve pressure within the brain. There also other cultures where trepanning is done to increase mental capacity.

Ancient doctors and healers used some grisly devices that looked like blunt knives and cookie cutters. Without real anesthesia, antiseptic and sterilization, ancient cranial procedures were downright dangerous! If you think trepanning was absolutely fatal, you’re wrong. In fact, skulls found in Peru suggested that those who underwent this procedure actually survived the horrifying treatment!

Believe it or not, these horrible treatments were actually done by our ancestors. And these are just three of the many unusual procedures ancient doctors thought were helpful. If these were the treatments today, would you ever see your doctor?

Ancient people of the world loved the night sky. They were fascinated with the points of light up there that seemed so unreachable. Since we now understand a lot more about space and the night sky, we sadly are much less fascinated by them. We don’t love the night sky as much as we used to. I would like to fix that; I have personally been inspired so much by deep space, the stars, and the night sky. Here are a few ways you can add character to your own art through the night sky. Good luck!

How Big It Is

We are so tiny compared to everything in the universe. Carl Sagan in his book “Pale Blue Dot” talks about how insignificant we are compared to the entire cosmos. That is scary to some people, but not as scary to me personally. Think about it; the universe is so big that your problems are so small compared to it. Stars die every day; light takes so long to reach Earth that many of the stars we see in the night sky have already died, but their light has been travelling for millions of years to get to us. That inspires my art. Our problems only seem huge. But is a bit of trouble really anything compared to the death of a star? The sky gives me a sense of proportion.

The Variety

Do you own a telescope? If you don’t, you’re missing out. Click here to pick one up from LikeHubble.com… It’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. There is so much variety in the night sky, and it truly amazes me. The obvious parts of the sky are the moon and the stars. While those are beautiful, there is so much more out there. There are the other planets in our solar system. There are asteroids between Jupiter and Mars. There may even be a few tiny planets that we don’t know about in our very solar system.

When you look further out, there are nebula; gas clouds bigger than we can comprehend that birth stars over thousands of years. There are suns that make our sun look tiny. And there are other galaxies outside ours. Much of my artwork is space themed, because I find that I never run out of inspiration when it comes to looking at the night sky. It’s really amazing. Get a telescope from Like Hubble and see for yourself!

In Conclusion…

The stars are beautiful, and they inspire me. Few other things can make me so ready to create art than the stars and planets. But not all my artwork is space themed! Looking at the stars can remind me of other issues that we face as humans, like mortality and the meaning of life and that leads me to create different art. Everyone is different, and everyone creates differently. What will your inspiration be? What drives you to create? I want to know!

Religion has historically been one the biggest drivers of art. Even the cave paintings, some the first art we’ve ever identified historically, seemed to be documenting some sort of deity. The cathedrals of Europe are stunning, and designed to make people think of God because of their sheer size. The Dome of the Rock is designed to dazzle onlookers with the glory of the divine. Why is religion the producer of some of history’s greatest art?

Beyond Ourselves

One of the biggest reasons that religious art is as wonder as it is is simply because it points to something bigger than we are. When people have a cause that is much larger than they are, that cause will drive people to create things that are truly wonderful. The cathedrals of Europe took over 200 years to complete. The longest construction time for a cathedral was 600 years… that’s around 10 generations. What on earth would drive something to start a project that they wouldn’t live to see, and neither would anyone they knew while they were alive? In 600 years no one would even remember who they were. So, the main reason that religious art has the power that is does is because it is driven by something beyond us; the belief that in creating this cathedral, they were honoring God.

Religious Power

Many of the largest works of art and architecture were sponsored at least in part by the state. Because in the medieval period, there was no separation of church and state. The catholic church had as much or more power than the king himself. Because of this enormous power, they also had massive amounts of money at their disposal to create works of art. During the Renaissance, it was much the same. They commissioned artists like Michelangelo and others to make statues and paintings with religious themes. In the Muslim world it was much the same; caliphates had enough power to create stunning Mosques. These would not have been possible without religious money.

In the Modern Day

Even today, there are wonderful examples of art. I just went up to New York to play paintball with my family (and yes, I wore a great-quality paintball mask to be safe!) and saw the cathedral in the middle of New York City. Although this wasn’t built with as much state/religious money, it is a real work of art in the middle of one of the world’s busiest cities. Even if you’re not religious yourself, it is sometimes nice to think about how religious has done some good in addition to the bad. Many paintings, statues, and buildings that we take for granted have come as a result of people believing in some sort of deity. Maybe there is something to that; believing in something often gives us a direction in life that many people seem to lack. Either way, a true fan of art cannot deny the impact that religious history has had on the world of art history.

When one looks at an H.R. Giger painting, it’s difficult to see how this art contributes positively to the overall world of art and culture. This can be hard to see because “ugly” artists like Giger often create designs that are quite shocking and horrifying. However, this art actually contributes much to the world of art, but in a quite different way than the art of Michelangelo or Da Vinci.

Different Perspectives

My favorite art teacher in school once said that art is a representation of what it means to be human. That does not mean that it is pretty, but that doesn’t mean it’s always ugly either. Some art will fall to either extreme, just because humans often fall to extremes as well. Art pieces like the ones Banksy creates will often provoke negative emotions, which are just as valid as positive emotions. Gustave Dore’s illustrations for such religious literary texts as Inferno and Paradise Lost are great examples of this; they SHOULD be ugly and shocking, because the meaning of the texts are often ugly and shocking. Art should match the emotion that the artist is trying to provoke.

Types of Art

Art can be broadly divided into three emotional categories: The Exquisite, the Mundane, and the Ugly. The Exquisite is represented by most Renaissance Christian art; it is a bit overblown but breathtaking at the same time. The Mundane is broad, but great examples include the Impressionistic painters depicting scenes of starry nights or flowers or lilies. The Ugly is a fairly recent development, and has much to do with the loss of hope for many during the Industrial Revolution. Each of these represent stages in our life. The Exquisite is what we hope to gain eventually; it is unreachable but hopeful. The Mundane is where we are in life. We are simply living life and enjoying it, from doing simple things like picking up great racquets for a game of badminton all the way to playing games with children. And the Ugly represents our fear, and what we hope to never see.

More Power

The last reason why ugly or negative art is made is because negative emotions have more power than positive ones. This is a sad fact about the world we live in. Fear will induce a stronger reaction than the same amount of love; pain produces a bigger reaction than pleasure. And a dreadful or fearful image will create a stronger emotion than will a beautiful one. A scary movie sticks with you longer than a romantic movie. Artists love provoking emotions, and very driven ones can provoke very powerful emotions with fearful images. So why do we love scary movies or have a fascination with frightening images? It’s because we connect with them on a stronger level than we do with beauty. Is that bad? Maybe, maybe not… But it is true, so don’t be afraid to be afraid occasionally!

Art is what defines the human spirit and sets us apart from all the other creatures on this planet. I have seen a video clip of an elephant painting somewhere in Thailand. It holds the brush in its trunk and splashes some different colours onto the canvas. When there is an animal doing something seemingly clever like that, there is always an entrepreneur around, and in this case, the zoo sells the paintings for amounts of money that an individual artist would dearly love just so that he/she can eat! But a painting like that, be it by a monkey, a dog, a cat, or snail crawling over paper can never compare to what a human can produce.

What is art? It’s an expression of one’s creative skill and imagination, usually in a visual form, like a painting or sculpture. This creation can be admired or appreciated by others. Art also exists in things like music, literature and dance. When I look at certain artistic events or things, I really do appreciate the skill that goes into the finished product. I have visited many, many churches across Europe and seen religiously inspired art that just amazes me.

I love music. I actually play a couple of instruments myself, a guitar and an accordion. I would like to learn how to play the keyboard, be it a piano or an electronic keyboard. I can sit back in my lounge chair at home and immerse my mind in some classical music. I was recently at a public park, near where I live and they have a bandstand designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. This day they had the local university band playing a classical piece, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. I had to stop and listen, although acoustics in these sorts of places aren’t the best. I love the sound of the violins, though. They are always in the front row and provide the sweetest sound mixed with cellos and French horns. Where do you buy a violin from these days anyway? I have never seen them in a musical store, just guitars, drums, maybe a clarinet, some electronic keyboards and more guitars.

As a kid, I always associated violins with an orchestra playing classical music, or maybe gypsy music in the countryside of Hungary and Romania. (Okay, I can’t help the way I think all the time!) But with the internet and Facebook and YouTube and all manner of social media, I have been introduced to different aspects of violin playing that makes me think of it as a really cool instrument. I have now seen some artists performing with these violins in various bands and groups and they provide a diversity of sound mixed with traditional band instruments like guitars and drums. If you want to listen and see a real artist perform on a good electric violin, I suggest you check out a young lady by the name of Lindsey Stirling. She will blow you away with her performances.

It will be a contentious subject to talk about on any given day, mainly in lieu of our cultural diversity and, as a result, our broad religious beliefs. But, with few exceptions, there is consensus among scholars, religious philosophers, lay men and women, Rabbis, Imams, and many other religious schools of thought, that the personage of one Jesus Christ is authentic on most levels of human comprehension.

This post will appeal to devout Christians, born again or newly converted. It should be interesting to those who regard themselves as agnostic. To most artists, discussions and debates on the existence and the form He took, is essential for their own creativity.

Thoughts on Christ the movie star

Now that we’ve given you an extensive introduction, let us move on to a few thoughts on how Jesus Christ is interpreted in film. Because the post is short, we cannot go into detail on any particular aspect but interested readers can always broaden their knowledge by contacting us directly here or widening their own research via the internet or published texts.

Many believers and non-believers acknowledge that before He officially began his short ministry in the land of Canaan, He followed in the footsteps of His adopted father, one Joseph, a carpenter of note in the small town of Nazareth.

Some folks will believe this, others will refute it, but if He wanted to directly respond to a wanton act of faith from a follower, He could perform a miracle. A cheeky reviewer might remark that if He were living in the twenty-first century today, He would have no use for mechanical wood-crafting tools and pole saws such as some those listed on this website. Christ Almighty would have no need for just about any kind of saw, angle grinders or jigsaws. Bruce Almighty, on the other hand, will say that neither does he. Evan Almighty, however, given his performance in the film of the same name, may not just need the tools (and others) just mentioned, but he’d need a great deal of hands to help him out.

Christ the humorist

Fundamentalists, who, like the Pharisees in Jesus’ physical time on earth, contradict themselves time and time again, may not approve of this humorist approach towards introducing a review or profile on the scale of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ or Jim Caviezel, the actor who portrayed Jesus in Gibson’s film work of art. Gibson, himself a sectarian, took a stab at Jesus being a good-natured man for all people by taking an intimate detour from the visually grim, violent and horrific ordeal of Christ’s enduring walk to Golgotha, showing Him hard at work crafting tables and chairs familiar to us today while adoring His Mother, Mary.

Christ the Son of God

Martin Scorsese tried his luck in imagining Christ as an adulterer. Apart from the condemnation, on an artistic level it simply didn’t work. But faith-centered Christians are still in awe of Roma Downey’s (of Touched by an Angel fame) pleasant presentation of Christ as He was in accordance with the Biblical transcriptions.

History teaches us so many things. What I love most about human history is the way art forms were glorified. The Renaissance period in particular was highlighted by the novel ideas and approaches used during that time. For instance, the concept of humanism was focused on more, where human needs, interest and skills were given significance.

Humanism altered the way artists viewed their work and the subjects they chose. Human beauty and pleasures of life were portrayed in the paintings more. This is what made the Renaissance art to outshine that of the Middle Age art forms. The Renaissance artists like Da Vinci chose to study the human form in different perspectives and this can be seen in the paintings of that period.

More depth and liveliness can be seen in them. The Renaissance artists sought inspiration from nature and I think that it is great nowadays to be able to stay in touch with nature at home, have a peek here to know how. Also visit this page for practical way on how to grow inspirational garden at home.

Departing from convention

When you take a look at the artistic achievements during the Renaissance period, you’ll be stunned at the way the features were exquisitely portrayed. While Florence remained the undisputed leader, the influence was seen in Milan, Rome and Venice too. Right from the sculptors, artists, musicians and painters to the architects a marked deviation from the medieval age can be seen. You can find naturalism in all their works. While the Medieval people believed only in God’s power, the Renaissance artists looked up to artistic originality and considered works of art as unique and brilliant.

Wealthy artists

Renaissance period saw many of the artists flourishing as they were handsomely paid for their work of art. There were many wealthy patrons who were ready to shower their wealth on the artists for their work on nature. Records show that Leonardo da Vinci earned 2000 ducats annually, when 200 ducats were sufficient to live luxuriously for a whole year. Michelangelo received 3,000 ducats for creating the art work on Sistine Chapel’s ceiling and since he didn’t need any more money, he’s said to have refused payment for his work on Basilica of St. Peters. These facts suggest that Renaissance period was indeed a golden era for artists who are always portrayed as struggling individuals.

Renaissance art concepts

There are two main concepts in Renaissance Art.

1. Realism

Artists focused on realistic portrayal of the universe and human beings. The natural human form was replicated in their creations. This made realism being termed as naturalism. Also during Renaissance period, human beings were in essence good people and God’s ultimate creation. This thinking can be seen in the paintings, which had psychological profile with facial expressions being given more prominence.

2. Perspective

This involved the linear depiction of space and time, which enhanced the naturalism concept. This brought in another dimension to paintings done on flat surfaces namely distance. The objects in background were depicted in smaller size than those in the front. Brunelleschi used this concept excellently in his works creating a wonderful three dimensional effect.

We continue to get major headaches over the propensity of production companies to produce sequels, mainly to generate more money than produce a film well worth watching and being preserved in the annals of good filmmaking. We do agree, however, that in certain instances, the sequel is warranted, mainly because the story continues in a logical sequence, sometimes with appropriately placed flash-backs to remind audiences of what happened before. Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy is a good example of this. But then there are those sequels, far too many too mention in this small space, which are degenerative where film art is concerned.

Learning to quit while ahead

Hollywood action legend, Sylvester Stallone, may have utilized a good pair of boxing gloves during training for the original Rocky film to successfully create some authenticity in some of the boxing ring scenes, but like the legendary Muhammad Ali, Stallone did not master the sporting scheme of quitting while still ahead. For those not familiar with the legend, Ali liked to brag that he was The Greatest, even vainly producing a dramatic biographical film of the same title in which he actually took the leading role himself.

In later years, Will Smith, an accomplished actor in his own right delivered an Oscar-nominated performance in a far better film, Ali. The original Ali’s true claim to fame was that be remains the only heavyweight boxing champion to have won the world title three times during a long career. But he also paid a heavy price, suffering irreparable brain damage as a result of his exertions.

Never nearly as good as Paul Newman’s Someone Up There Likes Me and Robert de Niro’s Raging Bull, Sylvester Stallone delivered a nostalgic production in the form of Rocky for which his film was acclaimed as Best Picture at the Academy Awards at the time.

Cheesy one-liners and tragic losses

But, as in life, people, famous or not, are often remembered for their failures and previous accomplishments are quickly forgotten. And still Stallone has not learned his lesson. His latest follow-up to the Rocky Empire, Creed, is yet another flop for which he will be duly remembered. Now, whether this was intentional or not remains to be seen, but Stallone’s three movie series of The Expendables was nothing short of hilarious in which the whole gamut of legendary Hollywood action men, all good Republican pals into the bargain, romped about and had a jolly good time for old timer’s sake.

Famous for his cheesy one-liners, former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, forthrightly remarked to Bruce Willis in one of the many action scenes that ‘we belong in a museum’. On that remark, critically, we’d like to argue otherwise. The Fast and the Furious had a very long run of sequels, curiously for all the right reasons.

This action-packed series was extremely popular among audiences, so quickly-made sequels made sense. It was only after the tragic death of Paul Walker that cast and crew decided that enough was enough.